The songs of Bruce Springsteen: My 101 favourites. 96 - 92

96) Heaven's Wall

Album: High Hopes (2014)

"Heaven's Wall" was a song that took many listens for me to finally come around to not disliking it, and even.then I wasn't completely sold on it. I thought it was alright and it sounded like album filler to me, nothing special and if it were left off High Hopes, I probably wouldn't have cared.

However, after giving it more and more of a shot, I came around and was proven wrong about it.

It begins with to me what sounds like a part semi-gospel sound thanks to the choir, and part semi-African due to the bongos. The "raise your hand" line may well have you waiving your arms around like a maniac - even if you are sitting at home with people watching you. Admittedly though, it's a catchy hook Bruce has created and bodes well with the song.

I found it kind of falls short though on the studio recording, with a sense of wanting more. It's like it's made its way three quarters of the way up the mountain but couldn't quite reach the summit. I found that to be a bit of a disappointment.

Live however, I thought the song took on a whole new dimension, with guitars blazing as Tom, Nils and Steve all are given the spotlight to have a solo. Max steadying the ship, with Soozie providing a nice touch and the violin and intermittent work by the E-Street Horns. The latter worked very well during the chorus.

"Heaven's Wall" is a good song that is probably given an injustice in the studio, and shines much brighter on a stage with a pit full of crazies waving their arms around like lunatics.

95) My Hometown

Album: Born In The U.S.A. (1984)

When you look at the "Born In The U.S.A." and link it with 1984, you would think big 80s pop songs (See: Dancing In The Dark). "My Hometown" however takes us away from that cliché and delivers a very strong vocal performance for the last track on the album.

A lovely ballad with a beautiful vocal melody to close out the biggest album of Springsteen's career, we are met with strong imagery and a story of role reversal of sorts come songs end. The first verse describes to us that the character in the song is riding on his fathers lap in the car, looking at his hometown. Verse by verse, it seems the character grows older, the second verse telling us of racial fights and gun violence. The third verse is also similar to the second, in the sense that the town is in a downward spiral. From gun violence and racial problems, to loss of employment, it paints the picture that things are just getting worse. In the last verse, our character is now a grown man with a son of his own, and mirrors the first verse, except now they're getting out.

There is nothing grandiose about "My Hometown." There are no big notes that are belted out, there are no solos that set the song on fire, there isn't a piano outro to blow your mind. "My Hometown" however is a great example of less is more. It doesn't need any of the aforementioned bells and whistles to be a great song. Its ballad like nature establishes it strongly enough to stand well on its own accord.

94) Brothers Under The Bridge

Album: Tracks (1998)

I think to casual fans, Bruce Springsteen is just "that guy who sang Born In The U.S.A" and a few other catchy 80s pop songs. But, beyond that mainstream layer that many only see, there is a truly remarkable songwriter under the hits that made him a commercial success. Strip away his music and you can see that, but people don't have time, nor probably care for that, after all, music is for listening to. Music is about depth and substance, so if you have a great piece of music with sub-standard lyrics, or brilliant lyrics with a crappy composition, something is definitely lacking. "Brothers Under The Bridge" though, delivers strongly on both fronts despite its simplicity.

"Brothers Under The Bridge" is an extraordinary piece of song writing. It tells the story of one man, a Vietnam veteran, who moved from LA to the mountains in San Diego. He had a daughter he'd never met, whom comes out looking to meet him, the song is about what he tells her.

There are a few different arrangements out there. The Joad Tour is all acoustic, which adds to its mystery and darkness, the original recording has drums, bass, keys and guitars, which I think works quite well. For me, though, the most recent performance of this song with the full band on the last tour is where is hit its summit. There was a lovely trumpet outro to close the song, which was a great touch and gave it a military style feel the song deserves (similar to "The Wall").

You have to feel, Bruce could write a whole album about 'Nam and it would kick a whole heap of ass.

93) Dream Baby Dream

Album: High Hopes (2014)

For all of its simplicity and repetitiveness, Dream Baby Dream does what many songs can't, and that is keep an audience in absolute silence, and completely and utterly captivated witnessing a fine piece of music. Of course, I refer to the song when done live.

Bruce and a pump organ is all that is needed to deliver an inspiring and passionate performance. There are no bells and whistles, no antics, no sliding, no dancing. Just pure emotion and two instruments, the pump organ - and his voice.

The studio recording may have you thinking it goes on a little too long (it clocks in at just over five minutes), and perhaps could have reached its climax a little sooner. The end of it kind of just falls flat and closes with what sounds like an opera singer to end things. It's not one of his recordings, and it's a song which definitely works better live due to the emotion it can stir up, sadly, it isn't quite replicated on the record.

Was fortunate enough to be only metres away from this in Sydney:

"The E-Street Band loves ya."

92) The Ghost of Tom Joad

Album: The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995)/High Hopes (2014)

I'm not quite sure what to say about this. I find the original recording to be incredibly dark and haunting, Bruce's vocals seem restrained - but in a good way. When backed with a band, the song is a whole new creature. Intense, haunting, brutal, loud, commanding, they are all words that I think of when I see Tom and Bruce take lead on this.

The vocal performance from both definitely can't be criticised for lack of conviction. They definitely give it their all, and their guitar work is hard and heavy. Morello's final solo is something that is incendiary, and is something that needs to be seen to be believed. It's almost ethereal how good and unbelievably insane it is.   

Joad is good whatever way you listen to it - acoustic, or with a band.